Body found near where father went missing

Police searching for a man whose two-year-old son was found at sea have found a body near the spot where he disappeared.

A Sussex police spokeswoman said: "We have an unconfirmed sighting of a body by a member of the public."

Alan Watkins, 50, and his son Arun Leon Watkins went missing off the coast on Sunday night after they had gone sailing in a dinghy on a prearranged trip to Littlehampton, in West Sussex.

Arun was found floating in the sea on Sunday evening and died later in hospital. The search for the pair began after a yacht returning to shore found a drifting dinghy with no one on board about a mile off the coast.

In the 5ft-long dinghy were personal belongings including nappies, a child's armbands, clothes and refreshments, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said.

Ten minutes later, at 6.50pm, Solent coastguard received a mayday signal and a 999 call from a second vessel saying it had pulled a young boy from the water.

Police said a woman from a neighbouring yacht gave the boy first aid. Medics spent two hours trying to save Arun's life but he died later at Worthing hospital, West Sussex.

Detectives from Sussex police's major crime branch are working on a number of theories to explain the tragedy. Detective chief inspector Adam Hibbert said the boy's domestic background would be examined as part of the investigation.

A caravan registered to Mr Watkins and found in Sea Road, Littlehampton, is also being examined. Mr Hibbert said the boy had on a sunblocking suit but was not wearing a buoyancy aid.

Asked whether the incident could have been an accident, Mr Hibbert said: "We are working to hypotheses catering for all eventualities."

Mr Watkins's wife, who reported the pair as missing from their south-east London home on Sunday night, has yet to be fully questioned about the circumstances leading up to the incident.